Humphris Park in Venice gets new look

Published: Thursday, August 1, 2013 at 2:28 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, August 1, 2013 at 2:28 p.m.

VENICE - Visitors to Humphris Park are liking what they see.

“It used to be really run down,” said resident Chris Kukula, who goes to the park about once a week to enjoy the views of the Gulf of Mexico and Intracoastal Waterway and snacks at the outdoor concession, Anita's Sandcastle. “Now, it looks great.”

The city of Venice and others have given Humphris Park, the city-owned park at the South Jetty, a makeover that started with deciding what to do about a dead Australian pine at the park entrance.

Charles Alfano, a member of the city's Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, got the idea that, rather than tear out the tree, it could be carved into a sculpture.

Steve Harner, owner of the nearby Crow's Nest restaurant, paid for the work by wood carver Tony Minio to convert the tree into a smoothly sculpted dolphin that seemingly leaps into the air.

The city has since enhanced the entrance area with $4,000 in landscaping and added $1,600 in additional seating and picnic areas in the park.

It coordinated with area newspapers and other publications to relocate racks that had been placed in no particular order in the parking lot to a designated area in front of the concession stand. Racks that were in poor condition were replaced.

The city spent $1,000 to repaint a building that has the snack bar and two restrooms.

Anita Dean, the concessionaire, said the building had not been repainted in about 13 years.

About $7,800 in renovations to the restrooms are ongoing.

“We have a contractor doing the plumbing and fixture work, which should be complete within another few weeks,” public works director John Veneziano said. “We will then go in and do some cleaning and minor repairs in the restroom interior.

“We will also be installing automated locks on the restroom doors that give us the ability to lock the doors at set times to try to prevent vandalism. These locks also provide the flexibility to give codes to trusted individuals for restroom access after hours while preventing access to those who may damage the facilities.”

The sand parking lot frequently gets potholes after heavy rains. Yet that is one problem the city cannot as easily fix.

“That whole area is so close to the water it would be nearly impossible to get permits to pave it,” city spokeswoman Pam Johnson said.

<p><em>VENICE</em> - Visitors to Humphris Park are liking what they see. </p><p>“It used to be really run down,” said resident Chris Kukula, who goes to the park about once a week to enjoy the views of the Gulf of Mexico and Intracoastal Waterway and snacks at the outdoor concession, Anita's Sandcastle. “Now, it looks great.”</p><p>The city of Venice and others have given Humphris Park, the city-owned park at the South Jetty, a makeover that started with deciding what to do about a dead Australian pine at the park entrance.</p><p>Charles Alfano, a member of the city's Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, got the idea that, rather than tear out the tree, it could be carved into a sculpture.</p><p>Steve Harner, owner of the nearby Crow's Nest restaurant, paid for the work by wood carver Tony Minio to convert the tree into a smoothly sculpted dolphin that seemingly leaps into the air.</p><p>The city has since enhanced the entrance area with $4,000 in landscaping and added $1,600 in additional seating and picnic areas in the park.</p><p>It coordinated with area newspapers and other publications to relocate racks that had been placed in no particular order in the parking lot to a designated area in front of the concession stand. Racks that were in poor condition were replaced.</p><p>The city spent $1,000 to repaint a building that has the snack bar and two restrooms.</p><p>Anita Dean, the concessionaire, said the building had not been repainted in about 13 years.</p><p>About $7,800 in renovations to the restrooms are ongoing.</p><p>“We have a contractor doing the plumbing and fixture work, which should be complete within another few weeks,” public works director John Veneziano said. “We will then go in and do some cleaning and minor repairs in the restroom interior.</p><p>“We will also be installing automated locks on the restroom doors that give us the ability to lock the doors at set times to try to prevent vandalism. These locks also provide the flexibility to give codes to trusted individuals for restroom access after hours while preventing access to those who may damage the facilities.”</p><p>The sand parking lot frequently gets potholes after heavy rains. Yet that is one problem the city cannot as easily fix.</p><p>“That whole area is so close to the water it would be nearly impossible to get permits to pave it,” city spokeswoman Pam Johnson said.</p><p>Johnson said city crews are now grading the lot weekly.</p><p><empty></p><p><empty></p>